A Puppeteer's Survival Guide [Interstellar]

[A lot happened in the second half of last year, and I'm very sorry this story had to go on hiatus... I haven't touched a keyboard in a long time. This story has a fairly long plot and lots of ideas, so I need some time to sort out the outline first. A lot of the plot points have issues and need careful revision... Before then, I'll write some other short stories to get back into the swing of things. Thank you so much for loving Mr. He and Little Feixing. (Bows deeply) 2026.3.21]

Naturally dark, world-weary puppeteer x reliable, sunny little puppet

He Gui, an inheritor of intangible cultural heritage in puppetry, is bound to a Reputation System and transmigrates into the body of a genuine young master exiled in the interstellar world. To survive, he begins a life of completing missions.

Other people's System shops have everything. He Gui's System can only cry, "Host, help me!"

And he discovers that the art of puppetry has been lost.

He Gui: "Tsk."

Lost, you say? I'll shoulder it, create it, and pass it on!

[Step One to Survival: Make a Puppet]

His skill is so exquisite that an Outer God from the starry sky is drawn to He Gui.

He Gui scoops up a fragment of its body and stuffs it into his arms. "Let's file a research proposal. Right now! I'll start by developing innovative puppet materials!"

[Step Two to Survival: Put on a Puppet Show]

His puppet shows are a huge hit. He Gui successfully unlocks the new profession "Puppeteer" and joins the Star Alliance League with his puppet Feixing.

So while everyone else is struggling against invisible enemies, he's explaining how puppets are made to the audience and NPCs. While everyone else is being chased and screaming, he's putting on a puppet show for the boss and its entire family.

He Gui's acceptance speech: "Come visit my livestream and discover the charm of puppetry."

[Step Three to Survival: Technical Exchange Conference]

The villainous fake young master steals Feixing and conspires with an alien race, plunging the entire Star Alliance competition arena into a life-or-death crisis.

Silk threads glinting with cold light suddenly appear. The puppet sheds its fragile facade and, controlled by its puppeteer, tears through the arena and averts disaster.

He Gui drives a knife through the fake young master's palm and says with a smile, "Don't you have a wife of your own? Why are you stealing someone else's?"

Theme: Pass on traditional skills and race toward the future